PICTON PLAY brings together artists, community organisers, young people and other curious residents to celebrate the existing creativity in our neighbourhood and explore new ways of getting together through play.
On the outskirts of Liverpool city centre, Picton is a diverse neighbourhood made up of students, people who are new to the city, and families with strong generational ties to the area. Edge Hill Station, Metal Liverpool’s base for 14 years, is an important landmark in the neighbourhood.
Designed over three phases, the project explores the importance of play – even more so in difficult times – and the unique culture and creativity in Picton.
LISTENING
PICTON PLAY’s first phase LISTENING involved hosting artists in unexpected places in our neighbourhood with residencies, pop-up events and commissions. We engaged with the local community in incidental social spaces, from Nicki McCubbing’s observations on the 86 bus to socialising in the carpark of Smithdown Road’s ASDA as part of Josh Coates’ pop-up community space. Andrea Ku’s project ‘Dens of Sanctuary’ bridged creativity with a local underused outdoor space, Wavertree Botantial Park, celebrating the joy on our doorsteps by planning a series of den-building workshops and walks out in nature.
These ‘listening’ residencies invited artists to exchange knowledge with residents about the local area and its creative people, initiatives and places to go whilst making new connections around the themes of play, sharing, joy and celebration. PICTON PLAY is building partnerships with organisations from Asylum Link; Arriva; Edge Hill Youth Club; Firefit Hub; Friends of Botanic Park; Love Wavertree and more, to inspire joyful constructive action.
GATHERING
The current phase involves GATHERING and sharing what we’ve uncovered during the LISTENING phase. We’re developing creative ideas and projects that focus on bringing people together to build skills, confidence and encourage creativity. These happenings will populate local spaces, creating partnerships and inviting people to look at the streets, buildings and public spaces they see everyday differently.
CELEBRATING
The final phase will involve CELEBRATING at a large-scale gathering for the local community in 2025. The event or project will be shaped by the people and the knowledge gained in earlier stages of PICTON PLAY so we don’t know what this celebration will be. We do know it will be an extraordinary moment of creativity in our neighbourhood. Watch this space.
Get Involved
We want to work with as many local people as we can. Each phase of the project will involve a process of collective decision making with our neighbours and local groups. We’ll be sharing our work at conversation events and dinners, as well as through our social media and digital channels. The project will involve a group of informal advisors who will create a legacy for the area. If you live or work in the local area and want to learn more email edgehill@metalculture.com
Current Programme
Mystery Dreamers
Our Mystery Dreamers are a group of 10 local people including NHS workers to social housing tenants, local creatives and young people firmly invested in Picton, who are helping us dream up something big inspired by the theme of Mystery, the well-known name of our local park. As is tradition, our regular gatherings are fuelled by food before we delve into discussion. Residents are actively shaping and participating in PICTON PLAY, and embedding local knowledge and valuing Picton’s people is crucial to our desire to unearthing local treasures. We’re used to big cultural moments in Liverpool but this time it’s coming to our neighbourhood…watch this space!
Previous Programme
Listening Residency | Nicki McCubbing | 86 Bus
Artist Nicki McCubbing was in residence on the Smithdown road stretch of the Arriva 86 bus route. Gathering inspiration from frequent commutes, Nicki produced The 86 book, a love-letter to the quirkiness and uniqueness of the renowned Liverpool bus route, capturing the beauty found in everyday interactions, ranging from solemn moments stowed away on smartphones to performative socialising in cramped environments. Presented in partnership with Arriva, Nicki’s residency and book collected observations, stories and glimmers of humanity experienced through community connection.
The station was busy with curious eyes as we launched Nicki’s book in October 2024, joined by local singer-songwriter Claire Welles, as well as Sonic Yootha’s DJ John Aggy. Nicki’s book is now available at selected retailers, both digitally and physically. Secure your copy online here or visit the following local booksellers kindly stocking the book: News From Nowhere, Dead Ink Books, National Museums Liverpool. Available while stocks last!
Car Free Day | Interactive workshops with Laura-Kate Draws | Love Wavertree
Combining art and nature is something we’ve been doing lots of through PICTON PLAY. In September 2024, we joined Love Wavertree’s Car Free Day on the Wavertree High Street to highlight emission-free transport envisioning a more sustainable future. Inviting locals passing by to an interactive workshop, we dreamt up imagining public spaces that are as exciting as they are accessible and sustainable. Discussions celebrated hopes for more colour and smiles in Wavertree, including having a playful mascot, “Stella the Cat with a wind-powered tail”, desires for “water fountains to refill your reusable bottle” and “planting potatoes in the potholes. Artists Laura-Kate Draws breathed life into these visions through illustration.
Listening Residency | Andrea Ku | Wavertree Botanic Park
Artist and environmentalist Andrea Ku was in residence at the Wavertree Botanic Park and gardens, a grade II listed Victorian park founded by Liverpool botanist and abolitionist William Roscoe. Offering children and adults an opportunity to climb, build and play outdoors, Andrea’s ‘Dens of Sanctuary’ project engaged with local frustrations about the park – mainly years of neglect – by setting up forest play activities, leading nature walks and sharing skills for building outdoor shelters using wood found in the park.
Andrea’s residency in collaboration with Friends of Wavertree Botantic Park re-enchanted this local forgotten green space as a site for play and as fertile ground for her artistic practice. Andrea shared ideas to revamp the park’s signage to be multilingual, inspired by the nearby Asylum Link and its migrant community, making the space more welcoming to all individuals who may lack private access to an outdoor garden.
“It was a pleasure to deliver the den building sessions with the local community at Botanic Park. It was wonderful to see the joy on each adult and child’s face to be involved within the natural materials to create a habitat within a safe space. I have been overwhelmed by the creations made which still stand a month on and are now being woven into the overall park landscape.” – Andrea Ku
Listening Residency | Josh Coates | ‘Big’ Asda carpark
To kick of the PICTON PLAY listening residencies in September 2023, artist and organiser Josh Coates created a pop-up community space in Smithdown Asda car park. Across Josh’s three week residency, he uncovered memories of the community and spaces of significance, with people coming along to share their desire for social spaces to connect and celebrate together. Over cups of tea in the car park, people shared a need for venues for disco, birthday parties, games, cooking and craft activities, as well as a love for music and storytelling. Watch our film exploring Josh’s residency here.
“Time is something we all need more of – time to listen, share and connect.” – Community member, taken from Josh Coates’ Listening Residency, ASDA Smithdown Road
Neighbourhood Tapestry | Victoria Opomu & schoolchildren from Edge Hill, Wavertree and Toxteth | Tate Liverpool
Engaging with Picton’s next generation, artist Victoria Opomu’s residency hosted at Smithdown Primary and pop-up printing space at Loving Lodge Lane, invited students to explore their experiences of growing up in Edge Hill, Wavertree and Toxteth in summer 2023. The exhibition at Tate Liverpool curated by the young people included stories contained in objects that hold significance to the students and their families, a self-portrait wall and large-scale printed landscapes of neighbourhood locations. Objects shared included football boots, birthday meals at local restaurants and even a hot air balloon! Students shared insightful commentary on the larger-than-life landmarks defining Picton within their imagination, such as the Kuumba Imani Centre and Princes Park gates. You can learn more about this project here.
Liverpool Hip Hop Festival Residency
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop music, Nikki Blaze and Tony Broke, founders of the Liverpool Hip Hop Festival mentored 11 local young people through their residency, sparking the minds and building the confidence of an upcoming generation of lyricists, performers and producers through hands-on experience. Hosted at local youth and community hub Firefit, alongside Capeesh, a youth development project for learning skills through making music, Nikki and Tony’s graffiti art and beatboxing classes were joined by MC Blue Saint, DJ Rasp and Sugar Jill teaching lyric writing, scratching and breakin’.
This is part of Culture Liverpool’s Creative Neighbourhoods programme with Liverpool City Council. Thank you to Asda, Friends at Botanic Park and Arriva for partnerships that supported our Listening Residencies.
